The line manager effect: Why everyday leadership matters for neuroinclusion

Many organisations begin their neurodiversity journey with awareness initiatives, such as an employee network, webinar, panel discussion or lunch-and-learn. These can be valuable foundations. They build understanding, open up conversation and signal that different experiences and ways of working are legitimate. But awareness alone does not determine what happens when an employee needs greater clarity, encounters a barrier or asks for support.

But for many neurodivergent employees, their everyday experience of work is strongly shaped by their relationship with their line manager. Managers influence how clearly work is communicated, whether differences can be discussed safely, how adjustments are put into practice, how performance is interpreted, and whether an employee’s strengths are recognised and developed.

Equipping managers with the understanding and capability to lead neuroinclusively can have a considerable positive impact – for neurodivergent employees, their teams, and the organisation more broadly.

Research shows line managers shape inclusion

EY’s 2025 Global Neuroinclusion at Work Study surveyed more than 2,000 professionals across 22 countries, including 1,603 neurodivergent professionals. Remarkably, only 25% of the neurodivergent professionals surveyed were classified by the study as “truly included” at work.

EY assessed 56 potential drivers and identified the 15 that best explained variation in reported job satisfaction, which the study used as an indicator of neuroinclusion. In this analysis, line manager behaviours were the strongest group of factors identified, accounting for 42% of the neuroinclusion score. Psychological safety accounted for a further 29%.

The study took a closer look at which line manager behaviours promoted inclusion for neurodivergent professionals. These included:

• encouraging people to be themselves at work
• clarifying roles and responsibilities
• recognising individual skills and strengths
• offering and inviting regular feedback
• checking whether meeting frequencies worked for the individual
• including asynchronous meeting options by default.

These are good management fundamentals across the board. But for employees who may process information, communicate, regulate attention, manage sensory input, or approach problems differently than others, they can be crucial in enabling people to produce their best work.

The study also found that neurodivergent professionals classified as “truly included” were up to three times more likely to report neuroinclusive behaviours from managers and colleagues. They were 2.4 times more likely to report working in a psychologically safe team.

Managers do not need exhaustive knowledge of every neurotype. They need the confidence to remain curious, avoid assumptions and explore what helps each person work effectively.

A gap exists between organisational intention and employee experience

Many organisations believe they are making good progress on neuroinclusion. However, employees do not always experience that progress in the same way.

The UK-based 2026 City & Guilds Foundation Neurodiversity Index found that employer confidence across measures of organisational neurodiversity readiness and support was approximately 70–75%, rising to 78–80% among senior leaders. By contrast, only 32–38% of neurodivergent employees, depending on the measure, reported feeling psychologically safe to be themselves at work, trusting that promised adjustments would be implemented, or believing that their organisation understood their needs.

The report positions line managers as a critical link between organisational intention and employees’ everyday experiences. It is often through day-to-day interactions with their manager that an employee learns whether support is genuinely available, whether adjustments will be followed through, and whether different ways of thinking and working are understood and valued.

Where this breaks down, it does not necessarily reflect a lack of care or goodwill. Managers may be expected to respond to complex situations without having the confidence, practical tools or organisational support to do so. They may be uncertain about what questions they can appropriately ask, what adjustments are possible, how to balance individual and team needs, or where their responsibility ends and support from HR or other specialists begins. Even motivated managers may deprioritise action when expectations are unclear, processes are cumbersome or operational pressures dominate.

The result can be inconsistency: good organisational intentions, but very different employee experiences depending on the manager, team or business unit. Manager capability is therefore essential, but it must be supported by clear organisational processes and accountabilities.

A manager’s response can shape what happens next

Sharing that you are neurodivergent at work can require considerable trust and courage. It is often a calculated risk in the hope that there will be greater understanding – although it should be noted that employees should not have to disclose a diagnosis before managers respond constructively to a barrier or discuss a different way of working.

In a 2026 US survey by Understood.org and The Harris Poll, 70% of neurodivergent employees said they worried that disclosing their neurodivergence would negatively affect them at work. The same study found that 75% of neurodivergent women and 69% of neurodivergent men felt pressure to mask or conform to neurotypical behaviours because of stigma.

Masking involves suppressing, concealing or compensating for neurodivergent traits in order to meet perceived social or workplace expectations. It may involve hiding differences in communication, expending energy to meet social norms, over-preparing, second-guessing, concealing overwhelm, or avoiding questions that might be perceived as “obvious”. This sustained effort can consume substantial cognitive and emotional energy, leaving less capacity for the work itself.

A manager’s response can either reduce or reinforce that pressure. They can listen without judgement, ask what would help, and open doors to productive conversation. Conversely, they can respond with scepticism, minimise a person’s experience, or frame any support as unfair to other team members.

This can create a “line manager lottery”, where an employee receives informed and constructive support in one team but uncertainty or resistance in another.

Clarity is also important, something that can be fostered by line managers but also the organisation as a whole. Among the neurodivergent employees surveyed in the Understood.org survey mentioned above:

• 70% did not know what adjustments they were entitled to.
• 60% did not know whom to approach to request them.

Awareness is helpful. But awareness without clear pathways, practical knowledge and consistent follow-through will not remove the barriers people experience.

The environment shapes whether strengths can emerge

Neurodivergent people may bring some significant capabilities: creativity, pattern recognition, systems thinking, deep focus, curiosity, empathy, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It’s important to note, however, that these strengths are not universal and a person’s capabilities may be easier or harder to access depending on the task and environment.

A person who can see risks and patterns that others miss may stop sharing their observations if their communication style is repeatedly criticised. A creative thinker may contribute fewer ideas if meetings reward only fast verbal responses. Someone capable of deep and highly productive focus may struggle to access it in an environment of constant interruption and unclear priorities.

The working environment, then, can strongly shape whether a cognitive difference becomes an available strength, or a source of unnecessary friction. The workplace culture and relationship with a direct manager can create room for a neurodivergent employee to work to their strengths, or throw up obstacles that make life—and performance at work—harder for everyone.

The EY study found that neurodivergent professionals classified as ‘truly included’ reported, on average, 10% higher proficiency across the ten fast-growing workplace skills measured than the wider neurodivergent sample. This included:

• 17% higher reported proficiency in resilience, flexibility and agility
• 15% higher reported proficiency in leadership and social influence
• 12% higher reported proficiency in curiosity and lifelong learning.

This demonstrates a strong association between feeling included and reporting higher proficiency in capabilities that organisations increasingly value. It reinforces that neuroinclusion is not just about the employee experience. It also suggests that when people feel included, their capabilities can more consistently benefit the organisation as a whole.

Eight practical neuroinclusive management practices

Neuroinclusive management means applying good leadership practices, but with greater clarity, curiosity, and individualisation. Here are some specifics:

Clarify what is required, why it matters, what a good outcome looks like, when it is needed, and which priorities take precedence. Explain relevant roles, dependencies and decision-making boundaries, and communicate changes in direction clearly. Making expectations explicit does not mean micromanaging; it gives people the information they need to exercise judgement and work independently.

Begin with what you have observed rather than interpreting the behaviour or attaching a label. If someone is missing deadlines, becoming quiet in meetings or repeatedly seeking clarification, ask what may be getting in the way and what would help them work more effectively. Managers can discuss tasks, barriers and working preferences without attempting to diagnose the person or requiring them to disclose a diagnosis.

Work with the employee to identify the barrier and consider changes that may reduce it. Agree what will be tried, record it appropriately and review it after the employee has had enough time to test it. The important question is not simply whether an adjustment was provided, but whether it improved the work experience or outcome it was intended to address.

Birkbeck and Neurodiversity in Business research found an association between tailored adjustments and employees’ intentions to remain with their organisation. In its findings, 50% of participants who had tailored adjustments said they would stay with their organisation, while 33% of those without adjustments said they would definitely leave. These figures relate to stated intentions rather than subsequent employee turnover, but reinforce the potential importance of responsive, individualised support.

Where role requirements permit, offer meaningful flexibility over factors such as work location, scheduling, task sequencing, focus time and methods of communication or contribution. Flexibility does not remove accountability: the manager and employee should remain clear about required outcomes, availability and team dependencies. It provides different ways of meeting those requirements effectively.

Notice the tasks and conditions in which the employee performs at their best. Discuss their natural talents, interests, capabilities, and aspirations, and consider how projects, responsibilities and development opportunities might draw on these more intentionally. Avoid assuming that a particular strength—or challenge—automatically accompanies a diagnostic label.

Invite questions, respond constructively when someone raises a problem and make it acceptable to clarify expectations, acknowledge mistakes or offer a different perspective. Psychological safety does not mean avoiding accountability or difficult conversations. It means people can participate honestly without fearing that a difference in communication, thinking or working style will automatically be treated as a lack of competence or commitment.

Create team practices that make information easier to find, understand and act on. This might include clear written communication, meeting agendas and materials in advance, written follow-up, asynchronous contribution options, predictable routines and an agreed source of truth for priorities and decisions. Well-designed shared practices can reduce unnecessary cognitive load while benefiting the whole team.

Evaluate people against the genuine requirements and outcomes of their role, rather than one preferred way of appearing competent. Eye contact, confidence, speed of response in meetings, sociability, networking style, office presence or verbal fluency are not reliable measures of someone’s overall capability or potential. Where the required standard is being met, allow people to use different methods and working styles to achieve it.

Managers need support too

We should be careful not to turn the importance of line managers into another unrealistic demand placed upon them. Managers are often balancing delivery pressures, wellbeing concerns, performance conversations, changing team expectations, and their own workloads. Some will also be neurodivergent themselves.

Managers need more than a general awareness webinar. They need:

• practical training based on realistic workplace situations
• clear guidance about adjustments, privacy, and organisational processes
• useful tools for conversations and follow-up
• support from HR and senior leaders
• somewhere to seek advice when a situation is complex
• permission to adapt how work is managed within clear organisational parameters

Organisations also need systems that make effective support consistent and transferable. Employees should not have to explain their needs from the beginning or renegotiate previously agreed support every time their manager changes. A change in reporting line should prompt a respectful review, not force the employee to begin again.

Turning intention into everyday practice

Neurodiversity employee resource groups and awareness sessions matter. They create direction, legitimacy, and accountability as a foundation for any efforts towards neuroinclusion in the workplace. But employees experience neuroinclusion through what happens in everyday work: how work is assigned, meetings are run, feedback is given, differences are interpreted, and managers respond when someone says, “This way of working is creating a barrier for me.”

A capable and well-supported line manager can reduce unnecessary friction, amplify strengths, prevent problems from escalating, and create a team environment in which more people can contribute fully. That benefits neurodivergent employees and strengthens the clarity, adaptability and quality of management experienced by everyone.

Human Fabric helps organisations equip people leaders to recognise workplace friction, respond constructively to individual needs and build clearer, more inclusive team practices. We offer a practical neuroinclusive leadership course for managers: Reframing and Harnessing Neurodiversity in Teams. We also provide one-to-one manager advisory sessions for managers who need confidential, practical guidance about supporting a neurodivergent employee or navigating a particular workplace situation.

Creating workplaces where all types of minds can thrive depends not only on what an organisation believes, but on what its leaders know how to do and the systems that enable them to do it consistently.